Onitsuka Tiger California 78 OG Review

The other day, I was talking about the Onitsuka Tiger Limber Up Moscow and I said that it looked very much like the California 78. There are good reasons for that.

First of all, from the front, they’re almost identical. The texture on the sole is also a perfect copy. Both shoes feature a zigzag suede texture in the lace area. They’re both super light and extremely flexible.

The only thing that’s off is the extra suede detail that the California has in the toe area.

On the closer look, however, the differences become more apparent. The 78 has a solid, uniform sole, unlike the Limber Up, which has a couple of hole on each side. Its upper is made of mesh, not nylon.

According to the details released by the company, this was the first mesh shoe in the world. I have a hard time actually believing that, but I can’t prove them wrong at this time.

The Jogging boom of the late 70 and the Onitsuka Tiger California 78

I’ve seen this with KangaROOS too. Both companies talk about this ‘jogging craze’ that swept the nation in the 70s and the 80s and how they’ve been at the forefront of this movement.

I don’t know about that… weren’t people trying to stay in shape before that? Somebody actually had to stand up and say “all right, from now on, we’re all going to be jogging”?

Regardless, the shoe we’re talking about here is called Onitsuka Tiger California 78 OG because that’s where people really embraced this sport. It makes sense… who wouldn’t want to be running on those beautiful beaches? Ok, back to reality. 🙂

What this shoe had and nobody else even thought about of was a small reflector patch on the heel. This way, if you were running in the evening by the side of the road, you stood a good chance to actually survive and arrive home safely. Well thought.

I’ve noticed something weird.. who do all of these sneakers have that round suede patch in the back? Looks to me like a place where they could have placed a logo or something.

Hey, wait a minute… is that the reflector patch they are talking about? Yeah, that’s highly probable.

Anyway, Onitsuka Tiger reissued the California 78 OG. The shoe has all of its original details and, on top of that, it features a small metal patch commemorating its birth state.